Unikont

Unikonts or Amorphea are members of a taxonomic supergroup that includes the Amoebozoa and its sister clade, the Opisthokonta, which includes the Fungi, Animals and the Choanomonada, or Choanoflagellates. The taxonomic affinities of the members of this clade were originally described and proposed by Thomas Cavalier-Smith.

The International Society of Protistologists, the recognised body for taxonomy of protozoa, recommended in 2012 that the term Unikont be changed to Amorphea because the name "Unikont" is based upon a hypothesized synapomorphy that the ISP authors and other scientists later rejected.

It includes amoebozoa, opisthokonts, and possibly Apusozoa.

Taxonomic revisions within this group

Cavalier-Smith has proposed two new phyla: Sulcozoa which consists of the subphyla Apusozoa (Apusomonadida, Breviatea) and Varisulca which includes the subphyla Diphyllatea, Discocelida, Mantamonadida, Planomonadida and Rigifilida. The validity of this proposed taxonomy has yet to ruled upon by the Society of Protistologists.